What Do You Do When Books Everyone Else Loves are Dragging You Down?! And...Time for December Reads

 I am super annoyed. I've wanted to read Alix E. Harrow's The Once and Future Witches and Rebecca Roanhorse's Black Sun for MONTHS. I eagerly bought both of them, and started reading...

.......and starting and stopping

........and SQUIRREL!

....here it is, weeks later and I haven't even made it half-way through either of them. I'm beyond frustrated at my lack of focus and inability to be grabbed by either of these books. I know deep down I will love both of them, it's the getting there that is proving hard for me. I simply cannot concentrate long enough to settle in for a good, long page-turning read. I'll confess I had hopes with a four day weekend I would really make some progress. Unfortunately, I wasn't home much at all--as in only part of Friday and part of Saturday. Instead of reading, I put up my Christmas decorations and made the mistake of visiting Target, where I think everyone in my city was shopping. I quickly left after realizing no one was social distancing or even trying to--but at least everyone had masks on-mostly because Target enforces it. 

Anyhow, I did read the latest Jodi Picoult: The Book of Two Ways. While I was all in at the beginning, I quickly lost interest. I did push my way through to the end, but I was disappointed. Too much deep thought that quite honestly didn't hit the mark with me. So while I did read it, I'm not going to review it more than what I just did! I have a friend who read it and loved it, so my advice is to give it a shot and see what you think. What was a miss for me may hit a home run for you. 

I am not giving up on Harrow and Roanhorse. But I am tossing in the guilt-infused towel and I'm going to stop feeling bad that they are taking me some time to finish. I'll continue to peck away at both of them, confident that I will hit that sweet spot in both and spend a few late nights unable to put them down. 

So, onto December reads. My month where I unapologetically read mostly holiday feel-good books. Holiday books for me are like Christmas lights for others: they magically make me feel happier and more relaxed. While my Decembers are no longer driven by a crazy retail schedule, I do continue to keep my tradition of reading and relaxing at night with the tree lit up and a few candles burning my favorite cranberry and pine tree scents. 

I am still working on Surviving Savannah (as an e-book) and it reminds me how much I miss reading a lot of historical fiction. So that's still in the mix this month. I'm really pushing myself this month with the stack I've selected. I never learn my limits! Here's some of what I'm going to read in December:

Most of my choices are holiday titles I've purchased over the past month and kept hidden from view so I wouldn't be tempted. I've also grabbed Ree Drummond's latest Frontier Follies and the current YA pick from Reese Witherspoon's book group: A Cuban Girls Guide to Tea and Tomorrow. I've got a couple of Christmas mystery books, along with a few romances. So heck, that's a lot of reading for me this month. I best get moving. 

As the year winds down, I'm closing in on my reading challenge. This year I decided to lower my goal and I'm glad I did-it's been a humdinger of a year, wouldn't you agree? And while books are always my happy place, sometimes even they didn't quite work their magic. Sometimes I just had to sit in that unhappy, sad place. Sometimes (as in after the power came back on after 11 days in August!), I just have to watch Guy's Grocery Games on Food Network for hours and not do anything else. Now I'm hooked on the Great British Baking Show--all the old seasons showing on Netflix. I find it comforting to watch all those bakers. I hope 2021 has plenty of foodie fiction books coming my way. 

Stay safe, stay healthy, and take some time to enjoy whatever reads or audio books   give you joy. 

Here we go December!

The Bookalicious Babe

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What Do You Do When Books Everyone Else Loves are Dragging You Down?! And...Time for December Reads

The Universe Sent Me a Romance Novel to Read: The Hygge Holiday by Rosie Blake

I was cataloging new materials at the library last week and this came across my desk. At first I didn't pay any attention to what it was about, but something made me pause and take a second look. Aha! After realizing I didn't have anything romantic at all on my reading list for February, the universe decided to hand me something to read. Thank you, Universe. 

The Hygge Holiday is a novel that will, quite simply, make you want to light candles and cozy up with your favorite blanket and something warm to drink. It's a delightful tale about Clara, a Danish woman traveling around England, who finds herself in the small town of Yulethorpe shortly before Christmas. Yulethorpe was, just a few short years before, a bustling, delightful town full of quaint shops, lovely restaurants, and a steady stream of folks from all around. Yet now the last shop, a toy store, is closing down, and the only remaining pub is a bit bare bones. Yulethorpe has lost it's mojo. Clara befriends Louisa, the owner of Alden's Toys, as she announces she's giving up, closing the shop and flying off to Spain. Clara offers to flat sit for her, and asks if she can keep the shop open, since Christmas is coming soon and folks need to buy gifts. With Louisa's blessing, Clara settles into the flat, and soon has the toy store open, creating amazing window scenes that draw crowds and generate positive buzz in Yulethorpe. 

Joe Alden, Louisa's son, is a high-flyer in London, always working, never taking a day off, and he's frustrated he can't get a hold of his mother. He drives down to Yulethorpe to see what's going on, and he clashes with Clara. Clara herself practices  hygge--which is a Danish concept of slowing down, enjoying life, and making simple changes that keep you happy and content. Yes, it means having candles, making supper, creating a cozy home, taking the time to enjoy the scenery on a walk. Can Clara work her magic on Joe, and get him to put his phone away, slow down and rediscover the simple pleasures of life?

There is a romance between Joe and Clara, but it's pretty minimal and slow paced. The main focus of this novel is really about becoming aware of the simple pleasures in life, and how they can create a sense of contentment and peace in all of us. Simply slowing down, puttering at home, and shutting off the phone can help us destress and enjoy life. It's fun to watch Joe slowly let go of his frantic London life and discover that he really doesn't enjoy his job, his cold apartment, and all those take out meals. The physical toll it is taking on him becomes more and more apparent as he spends more time around Clara. 

This was a sweet, fun read; just what I needed this week. I would definitely read more Rosie Blake novels in the future! I can guarantee you'll want to buy candles and comfy throws after you've turned the last page. If you already practice hygge, congratulations! You've learned the art of de-stressing. 

Rating: 3/6 for a sweet tale of turning off, tuning out, and enjoying the simple joys of life. I would love to read more tales set in Yulethorpe. 

Available in paperback and ebook. 

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The Universe Sent Me a Romance Novel to Read: The Hygge Holiday by Rosie Blake

Upcoming Reads for August: When the TBR Pile is Bigger Than Your House...

My niece was visiting me a few weeks ago, and of course I said "come look at my bookshelves and see what you want to read."  Amber and I have a long history of reading books, and I'm happy to say she loves to read and always says "I'll read whatever you tell me to read."  

This is the young woman who used to spend the weekend with me when I was still living with my parents, in the late 80's.  I'd make brownies, and Amber would snuggle into bed with a Harlequin Presents.  She was only 3 years old, and couldn't read, but she loved the idea of reading.  So she would lay in bed next to me and turn the pages of those romances, not understanding what those squiggly lines meant, but knowing her Auntie spent a lot of time staring at them.  She'd even turn pages.  I am a big believer in showing kids the importance of books and reading from the earliest of ages.  Showing them the pleasure and sheer joy of reading sets them on the path of literacy that will enrich their lives and often times bring them comfort during lonely, sad, and hard times.     

Me and my little reading companion, late 1980's

She's all grown up, and I have less hair!

 

 

 Anyway, every book I looked at on my shelves I couldn't give to Amber, simply because I hadn't read it yet.  Yes, I'm ashamed to say, a large majority of the books on my shelves (and on the floor next to the shelves) are books I've bought but haven't read.  Yikes!  I did manage to send her home with a stack of books, but it was a wake up call to get my butt in gear and start reading what I have on my shelves.  So, here's my list of books I'll be striving very hard to read and review for the month of August:

Reading for my Lunch and Book talk at work!

A novel about the healing power of books

The sequel to The Cake Therapist

My friend Kirk loaned me his copy--can't wait to read this thriller.

I'm part way through this, and I love it!

A futuristic London where lies are exposed by wisps of smoke

A chance to win a copy coming soon!!

 I know--I'm pretty ambitious this month.  There are still a few books from July that I've started, but haven't finished just yet.  And there are, of course, those rogue books that pop up during my month that I just have to read.  But for the most part, this is what I'm aiming for in August.  I'll be having a giveaway for The Girl Who Slept With God coming in the next few weeks, so watch for it!  

Happy reading everyone!

The Bookalicious Babe

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Upcoming Reads for August: When the TBR Pile is Bigger Than Your House...

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo

By now most of you have heard about this book.  It's been on the bestseller lists for close to a year and doesn't look like it's losing any steam.  I bought it last October and sent a copy to a friend.  I then promptly put my copy on my bookcase and didn't read it until a few weeks ago.  

Finishing school and taking stock of my house (which I've horribly neglected the past two years) had me thinking about clutter and how it makes me feel.  It makes me feel pretty lousy.  It clogs me up, slows me down, and makes my mental space cloudy.  Living in a small house makes buying and storing things pretty tricky.  While it can be a blessing by eliminating a lot of temptation to buy "stuff", it can be frustrating when you're a book lover and don't want to let go of your books.  Add in living in the same house for 14 years, and I've got a lot of accumulated "stuff".  

So I thought I'd read through this book and try to apply Marie Kondo's ideas to my place.  Known as the "KonMari" method, Marie Kondo's book is pretty genius.  But you have to be willing to spend some time, energy, and bouts of emotional angst to get the job done.  I'm still a work in progress, but I want to share what I think about this method and how I'm doing so far in the process.

The KonMari method leads you through items in your house one by one, rather than tackling rooms.  Rooms tend to bog you down and you don't make much progress.  By spending one day on clothes, you work through and think about each item, and whether it gives you joy.  If it doesn't --donate it, recycle,  or put it in the trash.  By sitting and spending time with each item, it makes you focus on one thing at a time and makes you pause to really give each item the time it deserves.  Sounds crazy, but it does work.  By looking at each item and deciding if it gives you joy, you eliminate the guilt of getting rid of something and instead send it on to people who could use it and perhaps find joy in it.  The KonMari method focuses on clothes, books, papers, komono (miscellaneous items), and finally, sentimental items.  It's important to work through your items in this order. 

So how have I done?  I've made some progress.  I'm guilty of not following this to the letter.  I have taken drastic steps and reduced my books.  I'm still wrestling with reducing more.  I see the piles of books I haven't read, and it's quite frankly causing me stress.  This is the one final straw that had me reaching for this book.  I've cleaned out clothes and donated bags of clothing to Goodwill.  That felt pretty good, and it was easy to do.  I cleaned out my underwear drawer and actually folded everything according to a KonMari video (there are lots online!) and I have to say I love to see the colorful rainbow of undies I have neatly folded and easy to access.  Now I don't have to search but can see it all in one fell swoop.  I've also cleaned out my dresser and folded my clothes and placed them vertically in the drawer.  It makes it so much easier to see everything.  I've found clothes I forgot about, and can now wear.  I've eliminated so much clothing that I never wore.  It will make me more thoughtful about how I spend money on clothing.  

Books, well, they are my heart.  I decided in one fell swoop to eliminate any book I had that was missing a cover.  That was probably about 50 books.  They went into the recycling bin.  Then I went through and pulled off books I have already read and took a hard look at others I've bought but still haven't touched.  Painful as it was, because I feel like I've wasted money, I made some decisions and eliminated those books as well.  I've started to check out more books from the library--those books that I want to read, but don't necessarily want to keep.  I've checked out more books in the past two months than I've checked out my whole life!  This makes me happy, saves me money, and saves me space.  

I've started on getting rid of paper, too.  Went through all my files from school and either recycled or shredded most everything.  Kept a few papers, but with every paper I wrote for school saved on the computer and accessible from anywhere, there's really no need to have a paper copy.  Shredded heaps of old bills, receipts, and junk.  

I still have a long way to go, but I've made progress.  Reading The Life-Changing Art of Tidying Up has been an eye-opening experience for me.  It gave me the motivation to start making my home once again into a clean, clutter-free, happy place.  I feel less burdened by clutter and find it is easy to let things go.  I use the same few things over and over, so why have so much other stuff that I'll never use?  A better use of my money is to use it to travel, spend time with friends, and buy only what I really need.  I can see what I have, and what I don't need to buy.  This does also work for groceries!  Kitchen cupboards are next up on the list sometime this month.  It may seem crazy to look at a can of beans and ask if they spark joy, but it does work.  And while I'm not following the KonMari method to the letter, I am not focusing on one room at a time, but one thing at a time.  It does make more of a dent and I feel like I've accomplished something big each time I take bags to Goodwill or I fill up my recycling bin.  

Take some time to read the book.  You may follow it to the letter, or pick out pieces that work for you.  Either way, it is a motivator and gets an A+ in my fight to eliminate clutter.  

Rating:  9/10 for a new way of looking at the things we have, why we have them, and how to live life clutter-free and joyfully.  Practical advice that will work for anyone who has the desire and the will to work on eliminating clutter.  

Available in hardcover, e-book, and audio.  There are also many videos on YouTube demonstrating some of the methods in this book.  It took me a few tries to fold my undies a new way, but now I've got it down!  






 

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The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo